This lemon hair gel is great to have around for a little frizz control. My family and I have been making this hair gel for 20 years now! That feels so crazy to say, but it really has been that long. My parents starting going more natural with bath and body products and eating organic back in the early 90’s. It was a wildly different time where options for natural bath and body products were almost non-existent. And things like health food cookies meant they most likely had carob chips in them. Thankfully times have changed! But at the time, my mom got creative and started making her own gelatin based hair gel. It’s worked so well, I’ve been making it ever since. It’s just the perfect amount of hold for my curls. But I’ve also had so many people write in to say they’ve loved it on their straight hair as well. At one point I tried the popular flaxseed gel, and it did work really well. But it’s a bit messy, and I’ve never made it again because it was too much hassle for me. So… that’s where gelatin comes in. I need something around for those ‘we have an emergency’ frizz days, which let’s face it with curly hair is almost ever day! It keeps for several weeks in the fridge, and about a week at room temperature.
Let’s dive into some tips below for this DIY Lemon Hair Gel!
I make 3 different versions of this hair gel. For the first, after the gelatin has completely dissolved you can pour it into squeeze bottles. Or you can add the moisturizing ingredients to the lemon-gelatin version as the second option. And finally down in the recipe you’ll find my favorite most stable version which makes way less. It also omits the lemon juice and uses a few drops of essential oil. I love lemon, but you can use any essential oil you love the fragrance of.
How to make natural hair gel:
Warm the gelatin and water in a saucepan over low until completely dissolved. Or heat up some water until it’s hot but not boiling and pour it over the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice or essential oil. From here, you can leave it plain or follow the moisturizing variation. Refrigerate whatever you think you won’t use in a week. And if some of it does go bad there’s no need to worry because this recipe costs just pennies to make! I put my two different gels into small squeeze bottles for ease of use. You want to keep your hands out of it if you can, or it will spoil more quickly. Tip #3: Experiment with a less gelatin to water ratio for a lighter hold and softer gel. As a bonus, it only cost me $0.60 to make my own hair gel. And it works just as good as the one from the store that cost $10.00.
Looking for more natural bath and body recipes? Check out my favorite basics below!
Easy Buttercream LotionGrapefruit Body WashHow to do an at home facialFacial Oil Cleansing MethodLavender Sugar Scrub
This recipe was originally published in 2013, but has been updated in 2021 with more information, tips, and new photos! 4.5 from 10 reviews 1 cup water 2 Tablespoons lemon juice For Conditioner Version Add: 1–2 Teaspoons of coconut oil 4 Tablespoons of aloe vera gel Small batch essential oil version: 1 teaspoon plain gelatin 1/3–1/2 cup water a few drops of lemon essential oil, or oil you desire Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let cool until it’s set up. For the conditioner version, add the coconut oil and aloe vera to the lemon-gelatin mixture, after the gelatin had set. Place everything in the blender and blend on low until creamy. You can also whisk this together by hand, but you will need to melt the coconut oil first. Store the first and second hair gel options in squeeze bottles and use within 5-7 days at room temperature. I’ve had both versions keep for 2+ weeks refrigerated. So you can store the extra and get the bottles out a week or 2 later to use at room temperature. For the small batch essential oil version, heat the water and pour it over the gelatin. Stir until dissolved and add a few drops of essential oil. Store in a squeeze bottle and use within 10 days.
